* Official World Cup 2022 Thread *

197,372 Views | 2611 Replies | Last: 4 mo ago by TRM
TRM
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FYI Croatia is playing France in UEFA Nations League play.

ETA: Started a thread:
https://texags.com/forums/51/topics/3293958
tysker
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AgGrad99 said:

KCup17 said:

I'm honestly not super scared of Wales. Yeah they have some good parts but overall the seem to underperform. I think we match up nicely with them.
Im concerned about them going for a contested header, and Bale's man-bun getting stuck on Zimmerman's man-bun.... a la Aaronson's shoe
AgGrad99
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Impressive
jeffk
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It's going to be really interesting to see how the Qataris react and respond to statements made by fans and players during the WC. I know they regularly seize passports of travelers and can use the threat of detainment to chill misbehavior. I wonder if there's been high-level talks with their govt about "cooling the human rights abuses" while all the cameras are rolling.


DeangeloVickers
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What countries own the businesses that have mistreated labor?

There is plenty of blame to go around, not just Qatar.

I feel like it's another virtue signaling American trying to sound and look good with really no substance

Mathguy64
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Meh. They want to make a statement? Make it to FIFA. They were the ones who awarded the WC to Qatar. And by award I mean gave it to them after the world's biggest bribe.
gambochaman
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Mathguy64 said:

Meh. They want to make a statement? Make it to FIFA. They were the ones who awarded the WC to Qatar. And by award I mean gave it to them after the world's biggest bribe.


SO MUCH THIS
deadbq03
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DeangeloVickers said:

What countries own the businesses that have mistreated labor?

There is plenty of blame to go around, not just Qatar.

I feel like it's another virtue signaling American trying to sound and look good with really not any substance
Yeah honestly Americans don't have too much of a leg to stand on when it comes to human rights abuses related to labor.

It's been a long time, but I remember seeing plenty of Indian, Bangladeshi, etc workers in Kuwait/Iraq cleaning our porta-johns, working in cafeterias, etc and Kuwait uses the same kafala system for migrant workers so I'd bet a coke we're not clean there at all.

And of course there were hordes of Ugandan security guards in Iraq, who were certainly paid very well by Ugandan standards, and those dudes were happy all the time, but there are documented cases where US firms hired folks who couldn't shoot a gun just to fill slots, and cases where the disabled get left out to dry because they were covered by US insurance companies rather than a military/veteran healthcare system.

And that's merely some direct examples… indirectly, an exploration of why Qataris are so wealthy to begin with (and therefore have the ability to engage in these practices at all) points fingers back to the US and Western Europe.

I'm good with players protesting the things that relate to them (racism and so on) but players from US and Western European countries don't really have a good historical basis for protesting Qatar's exploitation of third-world labor… at least not without taking a good hard look in the mirror first.
AgGrad99
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If you're going to go over there, and reap the rewards of the tournament, it's disingenuous to 'make a stand' by pointing out the issues. Especially when you say you want to do something but 'dont want to offend the hosts'. You think they are abusing humans, and violating human rights, but you want to be careful not to offend them? In my opinion, it's better to say nothing at all, than to recognize the horrible atrocities, and still wanna go over there and personally benefit by playing the tournament.

Not sure how this is different, than what Phil Mickelson said, and got widely criticized for.

It's like the NBA and all their grandstanding about issues in the USA, but ignoring China's atrocities, so they can reap the billions that comes from that country. Enes Kantor spoke out, and he's blackballed from the league now.

Or half the world wearing clothes or posting from their smart phone, made from factories with horrible working conditions.

To me, it's all so tiresome. Take a stand, or dont. But stop with the 'we see it, and want to gently say something'...or worse yet, criticizing the USA, and ignoring much worse things you benefit from (ie. Lebron).

sorry for the rant. this type of thing is increasingly giving me tired head, especially when it comes from the avenues I use to escape politics/activism (ie sports).
jeffk
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I get what you're saying, and I'd have a ton of respect for a player who turned down a roster spot because of their disgust over FIFA and Qatari human rights abuses. That said, to me it's about control of choice - which things are decided by players/coaches/federations/etc. Yes, the players and coaches and national federations could all opt out entirely, but they also didn't choose the venue. So at some level that choice was made without their input. And again, at some level, all activism is grandstanding. Your choices or protests are really only as powerful as far as they are seen by others. And there's definitely going to be hypocrisy - it's much easier to speak out against things when there's a lower likelihood that you'll face serious personal consequences. Saying something about Qatar here on TexAgs is much easier for me to do here in the States... and I'll likely still tune in to watch the games even though I realize that at some level that's a hypocritical choice. It's complex.
AgGrad99
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I dont disagree with that at all.

Like someone suggested, take this up with FIFA, or work through the US Federation. I'd argue you could probably make a lot more change behind the scenes, than publicizing it.

I guess it goes back to the ole, 'just because you can say something, doesn't mean you should'.

Either way, I'll be rooting for them like hell to win and advance. Just tired of the constant 'activism' in every facet of life, I guess.
PatAg
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AgGrad99 said:

I dont disagree with that at all.

Like someone suggested, take this up with FIFA, or work through the US Federation. I'd argue you could probably make a lot more change behind the scenes, than publicizing it.

I guess it goes back to the ole, 'just because you can say something, doesn't mean you should'.

Either way, I'll be rooting for them like hell to win and advance. Just tired of the constant 'activism' in every facet of life, I guess.
Athletes are damned if they do, damned if they dont.
You are tired of their activism.
If they don't "speak up" they have a similar amount of other people harassing them for 'doing nothing',

I prefer to waste as little energy as possible thinking about any of it, and concentrate on important matters....like who is going to step up and take the #9 starting role
aggiebird02
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That's probably the healthiest way to look at it from a fans point of view…
AgGrad99
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I hear you.

I dont think they should do nothing. But I think there are ways to do things that aren't necessarily grand standing publicly.

But you're right. I recognize they are criticized either way.
AgGrad99
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Quote:

I prefer to waste as little energy as possible thinking about any of it, and concentrate on important matters....like who is going to step up and take the #9 starting role
...and that, I wholeheartedly agree with.
deadbq03
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AgGrad99 said:

I hear you.

I dont think they should do nothing. But I think there are ways to do things that aren't necessarily grand standing publicly.

But you're right. I recognize they are criticized either way.

I'd just like to see it done respectfully - knowing that there are plenty of folks who see it differently who pay money to watch them play a game.

Honestly not sure what that would look like. We don't have much respectful dialogue anywhere.
AgGrad99
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I actually think the Tampa baseball players did it well this past week. Said they dont want to promote something they dont believe it, but they love and accept everyone. It was very well done.
ThunderCougarFalconBird
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deadbq03 said:

AgGrad99 said:

I hear you.

I dont think they should do nothing. But I think there are ways to do things that aren't necessarily grand standing publicly.

But you're right. I recognize they are criticized either way.

I'd just like to see it done respectfully - knowing that there are plenty of folks who see it differently who pay money to watch them play a game.

Honestly not sure what that would look like. We don't have much respectful dialogue anywhere.
this is part of the problem. There is the right place and the wrong place for "a dialogue" in the first place.
jeffk
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Don't worry, you won't have to see any player protests as the Qataris will probably cut the live feed to censor them out.
Aston94
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AgGrad99 said:

I actually think the Tampa baseball players did it well this past week. Said they dont want to promote something they dont believe it, but they love and accept everyone. It was very well done.
And they were utterly destroyed by sports media for it, called bigots and worse.

I really think the best course for athletes is to keep your head down, play the games, and voice your concerns through your unions/player reps.
AgGrad99
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I thought the sports media was fairly even handed overall. Some criticized it, some said they understood, etc. But it's a non-story now...it didnt last 24 hours.

i agree with you about the course of action. lots can be done behind the scenes.
ThunderCougarFalconBird
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UAE and Australia currently 1-1 in the second half to see who gets to play Peru for a spot in the World Cup.
jeffk
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Banger from the Socceroos.

jeffk
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Final playoff pairings:

DeangeloVickers
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Damn that was impressive
akm91
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Was a good strike but the goalie had it covered but not the deflection.
Aston94
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Peru is going to destroy Australia.
oh no
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yeah, NZ vs CRC might be a good playoff for a spot in Qatar... but Peru seems unfair for whomever won earlier between the Aussies and Emirates. ...and then to be in a group with France and the Danes or Germany, Spain, and Japan.. ouch.
PatAg
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akm91 said:

Was a good strike but the goalie had it covered but not the deflection.
Real tough break for that defender, but that was great technique on the volley. Sometimes you just gotta let it rip and force the defenders/goalies to make tough decisions.
oh no
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I would add that a volley redirection with that kind of pace and on target is really really hard to do and really really hard for the defender to handle (obviously as he scored an own goal off of it).
akm91
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Seems like that's Weah's mantra.

Absolutey 100% agree with that. It's just unfortunate for the defender (see Yarmelenko's own goal).
deadbq03
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I'd make a bad coach, but I'm a huge fan of jacking up early crosses and shooting on sight.

You miss 100% of the shots you don't take.
Rudyjax
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JJxvi said:

Part of me thinks that we should just go into the word cup with the following offensive style.

Step 1: Kick ball to Pulisic. Get fouled.
Step 2: Have Kellyn Acosta kick the ball toward Weston McKennie's head.
Step 3: Profit.
I like that.
AgGrad99
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PatAg said:

akm91 said:

Was a good strike but the goalie had it covered but not the deflection.
Real tough break for that defender, but that was great technique on the volley. Sometimes you just gotta let it rip and force the defenders/goalies to make tough decisions.
Yep.

Best coach I ever had would scream at us over and over again to stop looking for the perfect shot, and just put it on net.

You might place it well and get a good shot off, the defense/keeper might make a mistake, you might get a rebound, a lucky bounce, etc. You never know what happens if you just put a decent shot on net.
jeffk
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Posted without comment.

 
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